Mr Colley, Bravo for the good job. I have been following your postings especially THE COUP one,two and three respectively. I am one of those who were fooled by the fact, the Nov.11so called Coup attemp was a real one, but thanks to your postings; the bright light is seen. Iam eagerly waiting for the part four. This evil might be for a while but not for ever, their turn is just around the corner. Lamin --- ebou colly <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > COUP IN > GAMBIA THREE > KB Dampha, I am pleased but equally saddened that > you > asked about Gibril Saye or Lieutenant Saye. Pleased > in > the sense that his case needs to be told which I > shall > attempt to do the way I understand it. But am also > quite sad to remember every thing about this fine > soldier who was too good to die the way he did. > Everything you mentioned about this soldier, > especially his devotion and love to promote sports > in > the GNA-had a keen hand in football, basketball, > volleyball and everything-made him more so a victim > to > be mourned and wept for until that day when his body > is exhumed from that toilet pit and given a decent > burial. We can classify Saye as the real soldier > with > difference. He was nice, respectable and highly > competent. But above everything, the young man was > soft hearted, couldn't hurt a fly when it comes to > killer instincts that we saw among the ranks of the > army since 1994. The guy had conscience and would > rather die than see the truth twisted and remain > indifferent to it like so many APRC lackeys we see > today. One of the reasons I later learnt for the > AFPRC's decision to eliminate him was among other > things his constant challenge to all of them over > our > detention at the central prisons without any > credible > reason or explanation for it. I understand he had > openly and constantly protested to the council > members > to try us if they had anything against us or set us > free. But death row at Mile Two prisons was not, as > far as he was concerned, a place for good officers > like us. He had even gone against all odds one day > by > coming to the prisons to see us with encouraging > words > to the effect that they were working hard for our > freedom. He had brought us provisions and toilet > articles as well. It was shocking to learn few days > later that Saye was dead. > So you were right Dampha in stating that the 11th > November event found me in jail. About thirty-five > of > us were detained for nothing we did. But I can > still > remember how devastated Saye's family was over the > death of the man who solely provided for them. They > even had to send a secret inquirer at Mile-Two > prison > to find out whether Saye was detained with us. His > father cannot still get over what he new was a > murder > of his son, because he saw his son when he was > leaving > for work the morning after the so-called abortive > counter coup. Soldiers who were present at the camp > that day also took the trouble to go to the family > house and explained to them what happened at Yundum > that weekend afternoon. > I personally conducted my private investigation over > the case and came out with the concrete evidence > that > these men were murdered when they least expected it > from these cowards. A man like Saye would have never > dreamt about Sana Sabally taking a direct role in > his > slaughtering. They were very close job associates, > sharing the same office where Saye was his deputy in > the heavy-weapons platoon. They were always together > in their small office by the fuel storeroom. Before > the coup one would easily mistaken them for brothers > given the way they used to hang closely together. > On the flip side however I think that was the reason > why Sabally freaked out after the 11th November > massacre. Killing a human being out of no > justifiable > reason could be psychologically very traumatic to > the > mind of the killer but when the relationship between > the killer and the victim was bonded by that human > factor bordering on friendship and love, the tragedy > turns into a clinical nightmare. > Anyway, that's another trivial story that I may come > back to in later discussions. > But as I said I started my investigation about 11th > November in the jail with special interest in Saye's > case. The first opportunity I had to know what > exactly > happened was when in February surviving soldiers > arrested and accused of complicity in the counter > coup > were brought to Mile-Two prisons under heavy armed > guard. The notorious Staff Sergeant Kanyi was part > of > the guards. They had to be transferred from the > Yundum > cells to death row at Mile Two. They were WO-2 A > Trawelleh, Sgt. N kabareh, Sgt. S. Manjang Cpl. > A.Jallow, Cpl. M. Saidykhan, L/CPL M.O. Njie, L/CPL > K. > Kamara and PTE. B. Manneh. > When they were first brought in, they were so much > convinced of being lesser criminals than we were > that > for a while they refused to say anything pertaining > to > what bought them there. Every one of them thought > his > arrest or detention was a mistake because, as far as > they were concerned, they did not have a clue about > any organized counter coup as such. As a result they > all thought sooner rather than later they were going > to go home. > Then on the22nd February, 1995, each of them > received > a letter from Baboucarr Jatta's office (then army > commander) warning them to brace up for a general > court martial scheduled to start on 25th February > 1995. That was to say that they had barely thirty > hours to face a court martial on charges of treason. > For their defense, they were not allowed to have any > representation from professional legal officers or > practitioners. The following officers' names were > forwarded to them as the only available persons they > could choose their legal representatives from: > Captain > M.B. Sarr, Captain S. Fofana, Captain JP Jasseh and > Lt. Seckan. These were men who were big time legal > illiterates. For the prosecution however, Justice B. > Akamba a Ghanaian solicitor was the head of the > team. > It was clear to all the accused that it was after > all > a kangaroo court martial that awaited them and they > also knew that Baboucarr Jatta was a genius at it. > It > was a lost course to all of them. > That was the time they really started talking. By > the > time they were hastily tried, found guilty and all > sentenced to nine years imprisonment with hard > labor, > they had told us everything they witnessed and knew > about the murder of their colleagues. > Most of them were arrested after Barrow, Faal and > Nyang were killed but well before Saye was arrested. > They were in the Yundum cells when Saye reported for > work the following morning and was placed under > arrest > by the military police. Every clothes he was wearing > (he was in working uniform) was taken off him and > was > left with only his underwear before the military > police forced him to join them in the cells. He was > stunned and tried to ask for explanation but was > simply told that the orders came from the council > members of the government. Who were they? Of course > the cowards: Yaya Jammeh, Sana Sabally, Edward > Singhateh, Sadibou Haidara and Yankuba Touray. > Anyway like all of them who were detained Saye had > felt that the error would be corrected and that he > would soon be set free. > Then the next day while Major Frazer Joof, commander > of the military police unit was taking their > statements at the military police office, they > received orders to stop the investigation and send > them back to the cells. They were informed that the > council members were at the officer's mess > discussing > their fate. It was lunchtime, so they decided to > have > their meals. Half way in their eating they heard > some > strange movements out side. Then a voice they could > not recognized started calling for all those > officers > arrested to come out now. Sorting out the officers > from the other ranks was, according to them, very > scary. > All the officers were handcuffed the moment they > stepped outside. Then they loaded them like sheep in > the back of an army Land Rover and covered them with > tarpaulin. > The windows of the cells at Yundum were not quite > high, so those in the cells could clearly view the > activities going on outside. It was from there that > they saw the convoy of council members departing > with > the officers including Saye. Baboucarr Jatta was > with > them too. > For two to three hours they sat in silence praying > and > === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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